Season 6
Overall season review:
Fade Out, Fade In (1) ★★★★
Summary
Margaret is on her honeymoon. Frank disappears and goes crazy off-camera. Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester III is brought in to temporarily substitute.
Thoughts
Ohhhhhh yeah baby Frank! Is! Gone! Dr. Winchester! Is! In! Whooooopow!!!
Fade Out, Fade In (2) ★★★★
Summary
Frank is removed from Korea. Winchester is here to stay, whether he likes it or not.
Thoughts
I LOVE the dynamic between Potter and Winchester! It is beautiful! Very fun! I also love Charles's character, and the premise of 'this guy is not going to acknowledge anythign going on here or make any effort to make any bonds with anyone either because he is not going to stay here and he isn't even here to begin with.' He actually has a ton in common with BJ in that regard. Also love the idea of bringing in a surgeon that is BETTER than Hawkeye and BJ! What a great idea! Yeah, this guy's good! What do you have to complain about him? Oh he sucks in every other single way? Interesting. Great way to emphasize that the thing that makes Hawkeye a good person is not that he is better at saving lives than anyone else, it's his views and understanding of the war and hatred for having had any part in it. Very good character premise. Very fun. Welcome aboard motherfucker! (I think this is the episode where he touches his nose?? Not sure.)
Fallen Idol ★★★★
Summary
When Radar gets injured after being sent to Tokyo by Hawkeye to get laid, Hawkeye gets too drunk to perform surgery.
Thoughts
Hawkeye gets chewed out an extreme amount in this one. Mulcahy is fantastic. Radar is fantastic. It really does an excellent job of portraying how men don't talk about their feelings, but also how sometimes there is no apology or forgiveness or fixing things. There's just the situation you are in, and the situation that happened, and the guilt you feel, and then you have to move on. It's another fun use of the sitcom format. I'm not sure if they would be able to fix things in twenty minutes, so I guess they just ahve to move on.
Last Laugh ★★★★
Summary
BJ's old buddy, an incurable prankster, comes by to visit.
Thoughts
Jealous hateful Hawkeye episode! Hawkeye fucking hates this guy. Anyhow, very fun and funny! Good episode. Also, Margaret absolutely terrorizes Radar in this episode.
War of Nerves ★★★★
Summary
Sidney joins camp with a head wound he earned following up on a patient he sent back to the front. He checks in on everyone around camp. Winchester touches his nose.
Thoughts
Sidney freedman my beloved. In my opinion, most "fun" Sidney episode. He gets screamed at by his patient who hates him a lot, but otherwise, relatively nice episode. Radar talks about his teddy bear. Klinger talks about his fears of being in the army. They have a bonfire. Lovely time!
The Winchester Tapes ★★★★
Summary
Charles sends an audio recording home in an effort to convince his parents to get him out of the MASH unit.
Thoughts
First Charles-centric episode! Potter paints his portrait! Mulcahy gets some lovely lines! BJ pranks him! Good episode. Very fun! They get so much mileage out of Winchester's vocabulary over the course of this show. Very fun.
The Light That Failed ★★★
Summary
BJ gets a mystery novel sent to him, which makes its way around camp. Winchester fucks up a surgery due to poor lighting.
Thoughts
Fun episode! Good concept! Very fun to watch everyone go absolutely insane over this book when there are actual solutions (like writing Peg to read the last page of the book in the states and send the info over.)
In Love and War ★★
Summary
Hawkeye falls in love with a South Korean woman whose mother he is attempting to help heal.
Thoughts
This is one of those episodes that feels like they started with a grand moral and worked backwards from there. "Love and War don't mix" Potter says early on. The entire episode feels shoehorned. On the other hand, Alan Alda does some superb acting. On the other other hand, this lady is so manic pixie dream girl. This was written and directed by Alan Alda, and it shows. The lady out of nowhere sighs at missing speaking in French, something Alan Alda kinda does and clearly enjoys speaking in, and when he fumbles his way through it, she laughs at him, and that's when he realizes he's falling for her. Anyhow. This episode I think is the first one where the writers learn that white is a funerary color for Korea, or at least the first one wear they play into it unwittingly with Hawkeye arriving all in white after the love interest's mother dies.
Change Day ★★★
Summary
The Army scrip changes from red to blue, making all red scrip worthless. Winchester attempts to take advantage of this. Hawkeye and BJ get in his way.
Thoughts
Silly episode! Very fun! Winchester being villainous in this very specific way that he is, where he could have morals, but chooses not to. Capitalist! Anyhow, fun and good.
Images ★★★
Summary
Margaret chews out a nurse for running out during surgery at the sight of blood. Everyone else gets on her case about it. Radar wants to get a tattoo. Everyone else recommends not doing that.
Thoughts
This is the episode with the camp dog. Loretta Swit, once again, showing her mettle as an actress. Wonderful times. This episode feels like Burt Metcalfe (the writer) wanted to prove he could write Margaret well, a la "Nurses." It is a wonderful scene, but it is still very much not in Margaret's favor. Margaret's problem is that she needs to be nicer, which she only does when ordered to. When she doesn't learn to be nicer, the dog dies, and Hawkeye comforts her. It's very sweet, very indicative of their relationship having grown, that Hawkeye can tell when something's wrong with her. In earlier seasons, if Margaret had brushed him off as she does here, Hawkeye would have made a comment about it, like "isn't she charming" and moved on. It's nice to see that he cares. But anyhow, the lesson she learns is that the war gets to everyone eventually, so she shouldn't be angry with a nurse running out of OR during surgery. Bad take. Incredible acting. Wonderful scene. Touching friendship between these two. Bad rhetoric. But worth it for one of the moments where Loretta Swit gets to shine.
The MASH Olympics ★★
Summary
In an attempt to get everyone in shape, Potter puts on a MASH Olympic event. Donald Penobscott shows up to participate.
Thoughts
Listen, I don't like this episode. It's fun, everyone has a good time, and I just don't like it. In particular their treatment of the token fat character for the episode centered around getting in shape. They don't treat him poorly in any overt or obvious manner, but I still dislike it. Margaret has pig tails though, so it's almost worth watching to me for that alone. Anytime Margaret is happy, honestly. Anyways. It's fine.
The Grim Reaper ★★★
Summary
A colonel who predicts casualty numbers arrives in camp to advise them. Hawkeye disagrees. Charles give himself and Margaret food poisoning.
Thoughts
Classic! Episode! Not much to say here other than that the guy who plays Colonel Bloodworth is fantastic! Good for him!
Comrades in Arms ★★★★
Summary
Margaret and Hawkeye get lost behind the front lines. They turn to each other for comfort.
Thoughts
Finally! The show asserts, once and for all, that these two are JUST! FRIENDS! But first they give it a shot.
Comrades in Arms ★★★★
Summary
Margaret and Hawkeye no longer find comfort in one another.
Thoughts
The shoehorned romance feels shoehorned. And they move on knowing that to be in a relationship with one another is such such such a bad idea. Anyhow. Love this interpreation of Margaret's idea of a relationship. She's like "hey we fucked, let's adopt our new personalities together!" and Hawkeye's like "Hi, I have depression and my coping mechanism is jokes, so that isn't going to happen. Also, I don't want a commitment. Also, weird that you just changed your personality like that." Margaret thinking that as soon as she is in a committed relationship, she will be able to perfectly conform to gender norms and thus achieve happiness, and expecting the same of Hawkeye.
The Merchant of Korea ★★★★
Summary
BJ gets a loan from Winchester, who takes full advantage of his inedbted state. Then they all play poker together.
Thoughts
Fun! Episode! Charles's unique brand of villainy once again on display! Capitalist! Whistling! Fun!
The Smell of Music ★★★★
Summary
In protest of Winchester playing the french horn, BJ and Hawkeye refuse to bathe. The rest of camp disagrees.
Thoughts
Margaret Houlihan playing the hero in this episode! Mulcahy absolutely eating his lines throughout.
"is it because we smell?"
"Oh, how should I put this?
"..."
"..."
"Yes. Because of that."
Anyways, very fun, good time! Weird to say this about an episode so far into the show, but this is a great choice to show someone who you really want to like MASH but has never heard of it, not because it is a good representation of the show as a whole, but because it's silly and fun!
Patent 4077 ★★★
Summary
The surgeons try to invent a new vascular clamp. Klinger tries to replace Margaret's wedding ring when he accidentally throws it away.
Thoughts
Cute episode for Klinger and Margaret! Does a better job of showing the flaws of Margaret's righteous outrage than "Images" by far, because in this situation, Margaret is actually blowing things out of proportion and assuming the worst of others. It's a good one! Also BJ and Hawkeye invent a new vascular clamp. Good for them.
Tea and Empathy ★★
Summary
BJ tries to help a guy off morphine. Hawkeye deals with a British commander who is enormously callous with his men. Mulcahy and Winchester get shot out while trying to steal drugs.
Thoughts
Fine episode! Not a whole lot to say about it. It's fine!
Your Hit Parade ★★★
Summary
Radar plays DJ while the 4077th handles an influx of patients. Potter keeps demanding they play the same song over and over.
Thoughts
Fun episode! This is one of the times that they have to put patients in other tents besides Post-Op because they have so many of them. There's a drunk guy who they steal blood from! Fun!
What's Up, Doc? ★★★★
Summary
Margaret thinks she may be pregnant. Charles is held hostage by a disgruntled patient.
Thoughts
Surprisingly nuanced episode considering pregnancy and the impact it would have on Margaret's life and career. Radar my beloved. Charles is held hostage because BJ's horrible bedside manner. Klinger replaces Charles as a hostage in order to try and get sent back to the states. Overall good episode. Fun!
Mail Call Three ★★★★
Summary
Klinger gets a Dear John letter. Radar's mom gets a boyfriend. Peg Hunnicutt needs a mechanic to fix the sink in San Fransisco.
Thoughts
BJ loses his mind with jealousy! Klinger gets dumped! Mulcahy tries to help everyone! There's another Benjamin Franklin Pierce who the women are all going crazy for! It's a good episode! What a time!
Temporary Duty ★★★★
Summary
Hawkeye does a foreign exchange with a cowboy from the 8063rd. Margaret is visited by an old friend from nursing school.
Thoughts
Oh my god Margaret. It's her very sweet girlfriend who she was very strongly attached to. Oh my god. What a sweetie. There's a cowboy also, and BJ and Charles get into cahoots about it. but Margaret. Darling. You are a lesbian. Dear, you are a lesbian. Oh my god.
Potter's Retirement ★★★
Summary
Potter tries to retire when he finds out someone inside the 4077th has been filing bad reports of him.
Thoughts
Hawkeye has a very sweet line in this episode, that he delivers to Potter. It's an okay episode, but honestly, not too memorable. It is a good Potter episode though.
Dr. Winchester and Mr. Hyde ★★★
Summary
Charles gets addicted to "pep pills." Radar enters his mouse into a maze race.
Thoughts
Classic episode. I love seeing Radar chew Charles out. This is another example of an episode where Charles has a problem and will not discuss it with anyone, admit he has one, and refuses to learn or acknowledge anything from having had a problem. Good episode.
Major Topper ★★
Summary
Hawkeye and BJ try to top Charles's stories and tall tales. Klinger marvels at a soldier who has actually lost it.
Thoughts
Overall unimpressive episode, but fine. Funny convos between the swampmates. Audrey Hepburn mention. Top ten plotlines that I didn't understand the first watch through. Anyhow, fine, and relatively inoffensive, except for like sanism.